Born in the UK in 1950 and living in Mexico for the past 30 plus years I worked in southern Ethiopia (Awassa) in 1992 for 18 months and became familiar with Ethiopian music and in particular the Roha Band. I first heard their song Shew Beli Bileney at a local wedding. When the band - not the Roha Band unfortunately - struck up this tune the wedding guests rushed to the dance floor to join in the singing and to dance in traditional Ethiopian style dragging myself and a number of European work colleagues to the dance floor to join in. Truly an unforgetable infectious happy experience. I'm now into my early seventies and having collected music from all around the world over the years the Roha Band is still up there with my all time favourites and although I don't understand the lyrics to their songs this really doesn't matter. They bring back joyous memories in a style that can only be Ethiopian. The opening track to this album, Yetikimt Abeba, a tribute to the capital city Addis Abeba, is my personal favourite. I originally got a cassette copy of this album on a visit to Addis before I left the country. In those days it was almost impossible to buy an original cassette from a music shop instead you had to supply the shop with a blank cassette and call back 30 minutes later to collect a copy they made for you from a master cassette. A few years later I picked up a CD from the airport in Dubai which I still have along with a high fidelity MP3 copy on my computer. The MP3s get played frequently!
@@albertom.6875 They released an album with all the music that influences them. Yetikimt Abeba is included in their list. I actually found them through Mamoud Ahmed and Tekle Tesfazhgi.
Selam Siyum Weldemariam (the nephew of Weldeab Weldemriam - Eritrean Patriot) we are glad to discover that you are Eritrean!!! Eritreans were the backbone of Ethiopia in many domains!!! 4 out of the 6 members of roha band.were Eritreans.
+608756 I liked the first song 'Yetikimt Abeba' by Neway Debebe the most. Other favs are Abeba Abeba and Kiya Kiya, both by Hamelmal Abate. I have downloaded this whole album from net.
las year I was in Addis Abeba - In Mercato - I heard this music coming from a shop so I went in and bought the CD! I love the Ethiopian instrumental music !! this is great!!
Thomas Melaku thanks for your nice words and thire orgin is from ASMARA they went to adis ababa and made history in ethiopian music and for thire orgin as well for that mutter
@@kittystcherbatski67 Nice. I knew of Tinariwen before I found Khrungbin. My favorite song is Sastanàqqàm. Let's maintain this reply thread if you find something as awesome as Khrungbin, add it here , spread the joy!
+retia b what r u sayig dude? which band can u call now who is even near Roha? does our time has a band like roha? all what u listen nowadays are made in a small room with keyboard and computer. Roha's time is indeed a real golden era in Ethiopian music history.
